The University of Toronto, McGill University, and the University of British Columbia have all secured positions within the top 34 of the 2024 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings.
When international students select their Canadian educational institution, it is customary to rely on reputable rankings. And also evaluators for guidance in choosing the most suitable school to meet their needs. QS is among the many providers of post-secondary institution rankings. Globally, it enjoys widespread trust as a foremost authority in evaluating higher education institutions worldwide.
Recently, QS unveiled its 2024 World University Rankings. The following summarizes where these three Canadian universities stand in this ranking. You can access the complete list, along with a breakdown of scores based on various factors. The article explains the five factors influencing the scoring system towards the end.
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Understanding QS World University Rankings
Using a five-factor methodology, the QS World University Rankings determine the scores for 1400 post-secondary institutions. Here’s an overview of the factors and their respective influences:
Academic reputation (40%): Surveys among individuals engaged in teaching and research in higher education generate this score.
Faculty/student ratio (20%): QS believes institutions with low student-to-faculty ratios and small class sizes provide a more personalized and collaborative learning environment.
Citations per faculty (20%): This factor measures the number of times papers authored by a university’s faculty members within the last five years. It serves as an indicator of the institution’s credibility in the realm of academic literature.
Employer reputation (10%): This factor involves inquiries with employers worldwide, prompting them to name universities. Both locally (up to 10) and internationally (up to 30), that they believe produce highly employable graduates.
International faculty/student ratio (10%): This factor assesses the proportions of international faculty members to domestic faculty members and international students to domestic students. When feasible, data is gathered from universities and cross-verified against government records, with each sub-ratio carrying a 5% weight in the overall assessment.
Rankings
34: University of British Columbia
In 2023, the University of British Columbia (UBC) held the 47th position on the QS World University Rankings. However, in the 2024 rankings, UBC achieved a notable advancement by climbing 13 spots, now occupying 34th. The university’s outstanding academic reputation, employer reputation, and international faculty ratio is the key contributor to this remarkable progress. In the overall assessment, UBC received an impressive score of 81.5. Before this year’s rankings, UBC had never achieved a ranking higher than 43rd, according to QS.
30: McGill University
In the previous year’s rankings, McGill University (McGill) held the 31st position. In the 2024 QS World University Rankings, McGill has slightly improved, advancing to the 30th spot with an impressive overall score of 83.7. Looking ahead to the following year, McGill has received exceptionally high scores, exceeding 87.5, in categories such as academic reputation, employer reputation, and international ratios.
21: University of Toronto
The previous year, the University of Toronto (UofT) held 34th in the QS rankings, making it the second-highest-ranked Canadian university. This year, we achieved significant progress, ascending to the 21st position in the QS 2024 rankings with an impressive overall score of 86.3. UofT’s remarkable performance is attributed to its exceptional scores in categories such as academic reputation, employer reputation, and international ratios. Notably, the last time it ranked as high as 21st was in 2015 when it had the position 20th.
